Online Sportsbook Overview
September 2011 has been a very good month for baseball. The two wild card races came down to the last inning of the last game of the season for all four teams involved. The Tampa Bay Rays scored seven runs in the ninth inning of their game against the New York Yankees and then won the game with a Evan Longoria walk-off homer to make the playoffs. The St. Louis Cardinals pounded the Houston Astros 8-0 and then waited for the Atlanta Braves to lose to the Phillies soSt. Louiscould clinch the NL wild card. It was one of the most exciting nights in baseball history. For an encore, theALdivisional playoffs present a match-up of two Cy Young candidates at the height of their games.
The price per head baseball fans inNew York will be treated to an opening playoff game that featuresDetroit’s Justin Verlander andNew York’s C.C. Sabathia. Both of these pitchers are the aces of their staffs, and both are Cy Young candidates this season. The Tigers come into this game with a hot offense that has been able to produce runs at will this season. The Yankees are hitting on all cylinders even without full participation from a still-injured Alex Rodriguez. The Tigers may not match up very well against the Yankees for the entire series, but this opening game could be one of the best in this year’s playoffs.
Detroit Tigers
Justin Verlander finished the regular season with a 24-5 record and a 2.40 ERA. He had 250 strikeouts against only 57 walks. He really picked up his game towards the end of the season and finished 9-0 in his last 10 starts. He enters this game with what looks like a pitching advantage over C.C. Sabathia, but this is the playoffs and not the regular season. The only time that Verlander pitched in the playoffs was the 2006 Tigers’ World Series run when he went 1-2 and racked up a 5.82 ERA. Verlander would love the chance to atone for those stats, but he and the Tigers will have to get through the Yankees first.
New York Yankees
C.C. Sabathia finished the regular season with a 19-8 record and a 3.00 ERA. But what may concern the pay per head Yankees fans the most is Sabathia’s play down the stretch. In his last 10 starts, Sabathia is 4-3 and he hasn’t had a winning decision since September 4th when he beat the Blue Jays. But Sabathia understands how to pitch in the post-season and has a lot of experience to back it up. He is 7-4 in the playoffs for his career with a 4.66 ERA. He pitches his best baseball in the divisional series where he is 4-1. The bet online odds experts know that Sabathia is difficult to bet against when the playoffs begin.
The Bottom Line
The last time that C.C. Sabathia had a winning decision was against the Toronto Blue Jays almost a month ago. But when the playoffs start, Sabathia has a way of focusing on the post-season and forgetting the regular season. Sabathia also has legendary Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera to back him up late in the game. Justin Verlander will be on his own in a situation where he has not been successful. This game is probably the best chance that the Tigers have at getting a win in this series, and it may not goDetroit’s way when it is over.
Pick: New York Yankees
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